Yarn-supply creel



12, 1954 w. J. FISHER ETAL 2,665,857

YARN-SUPPLY CREEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 15, 1952 FIG. 3. FIG. 4. FIG. 5. F|G.6.

Q 38 ll W-UTFISHER ifvzfim W rm mil/5 Jim 1954 w. J. FISHER ET AL ,3 7

YARN-SUPPLY CREEL. Filed April 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W-UT FISHER T ECCLES lwswmks Patented Jan. 12, 1954 gasps? YARN-SUPPLY CREEL Walter John Fisher and Thomas Eccles, Spondon,

near Derby, England, assignors to British Celanese Limited, a corporation of Great Britain Application April 15, 1952, Serial No. 282,352 Claims priority, application Great Britain. April 25, 1951 1 This invention relates to yarn-supply creels, i. e. supporting frames for carrying a number of.

yarn-supply packages for the simultaneous sup' (e. g. about a vertical rod or pillar forming part of the creel frame) so that when a package is exhausted the peg or holder can be swung back to allow the empty package support to be replaced by a full package from the rear of the creel. This arrangement, however, necessitates a wide horizontal spacing between the packages on the creel, to give the packages room to swing about a vertical axis without colliding with adjacent packages. As a creel may be required to carry many hundreds of packages, this wide spacing materially increases the amount of floor space occupied bythe creel and also the proportion of time spent by the operative in walking from one part of the creel to another in comparison with the time spent in actually changing the packages.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a form of package-carrying peg and, for

use in conjunction therewith, a yarn-supply creel of simple and inexpensive construction in which, while ready access is obtainable to the packages for the purpose of replacing them when exhausted, the above disadvantage is overcome or substantially reduced.

According to the present invention a packagecarrying peg for use in yarn-supply creels comprises a shank for entering the bore of a pack-- age, a fitment at one end of said shank adapted to co-operate with a mating fitment on a creel to hold the peg removably and replaceably in a fixed position on said creel, and a hand-grip at said end of said shank to facilitatehandling of said peg and the removal and replacement thereof. A yarn-supply creel according to the invention for use in conjunction with packagecarrying pegs of the kind defined above comprises a fixed frame-work, and a plurality of fitments arranged in rows and columns and each adapted to mate with the fitment on one of said package-carrying pegs, said columns being 1 Claim. (Cl. 242-131) creel need be spaced from each other by a distance less than the axial length of the packages to be carried by said pegs. In a creel of this kind, when a package is exhausted, the peg on which it is mounted can be detached and withdrawn directly to the rear of the creel without swinging into contact with adjacent packages, so that the horizontal spacing of the packageson the little more than that required to accommodate the widest to allow the free over-end unwinding of the yarn therefrom. The arrangement also makes easier the use of packages of increased length which would require so much space for swinging as to render their use on a creel with pivoted pegs uneconomic.

The invention is of particular importance in relation to creels of the kind in which the packages are mounted in pairs adapted to supply yarn alternately through a common yarn guide. In creels of this kind it is usual to arrange the packages of each pair so that their axes intersect at their common guide. According to a further feature of the creel of the present invention, the fitments for receiving packagesupporting pegs are mounted in pairs each provided with a commonguide presenting a general- 1y horizontal guiding edge, the axes of the pegs of each pair intersecting at a point beyond the common guide. By this arrangement it is unnecessary for the packages of each pair to converge sharply towards one another, and it becomes possible for theirbases to be more closely spaced. The advantages of this arrangement are made possible by the principle feature of the invention, except for which a wide spacing of the bases of the packages would be necessary in any case.

It is a common practice, in the replacement of empty package supports by full packages in creels of the general type with which the invention is concerned, to supply the full packages on a trolley carrying a frame-work to which are fixed package-carrying pegs for holding the fresh packages. The trolley is filled with packages at the Winding or twisting-and-win-ding machine on which the packages are wound and the packages are transported on the trolley to the creel. According to a further feature of the present invention, a package-supply trolley for use in conjunction with the creel of the invention comprises a frame-work and a plurality of fitments similar to those on the creel and spaced from one another so as to accommodate pegs in accordance with the invention carrying part of the package and operation of handling the packages and results.

not only in an economy of labour but also in a' reduction in the liability to damage of the .yarnon' the surface of the packages. The provision of a hand-grip at the base of thepackage: reduces the tendency of the operative to handle the package at the point of balance, halfway along the length of the package, where manual, contactis'liable to damage the yarn. Although, when largepack ages are employed, they may approach the maximum convenient weight that can be handled by an operative with one hand, the tendency, when once they have been fitted. to a peg having a hand-grip, is to'handle them by the" two ends rather than by the middle.-

By way of example, one form ofpackage-carry ing peg in accordance-withzthe invention, and a yarn'supply creel adaptedto'receive it, will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying-drawings, in which:

Figure 1 isasideelevation of the peg showing its relationshiptothe members of the creel frame,

Figure 2 is a plan showinga pair of bees of the kind shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 shows as a detail theiattachment of the peg to the creel,

Figuresl', 5 and 6 showalternative'forms of cross-section of the shank of the peg,

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a yarn supply creel in accordance with the invention, showing its relationship to a warping device, Figure 8 is a plan view of'the creel of Figure 7,

and

Figures 9 andlO are 'a side elevation and end elevation respectively of a servicing trolley for use in conjunction with thezcreel;

Referring to Figures .1 and 2, the packagecarrying peg comprises a shank i I adapted to receive a yarn packageor bobbin l2: Attached to the base of the shank is a hand-grip 13 similar in form to a conventionalsawhandle, i. e. in the form of a closed oval II}, with its .major axis slightly inclined from the vertical, and provided with projectingv spurs l5oi a form suitable to afford a grip comfortable and'convenient to the fingers of .the handin several different positions. This formof handleenables the pegs to be easily removed. and replacedin the creel in a. high position, e. g. above the shoulder level, in an in.- termediate position, or in alow position, e. g, below knee level.

The shank of the peg may be solidas shown in Figure .2 or it may be in the form of a hollow tube as shown inFigure 4; orof cruciform section as shown in Figure 5, orof Y-section as in Figure 6, to give strength and rigidity with low weight. The end of the shank. may bebored, as shown at 16, toreceive ashortspindle ll'. extending from a plug 13 fitting inthe endiof the bobbin l2 and carrying a smooth edged'balloon cap [9 covering. the top flange 2E!.of thebobbin l2. The smooth edge of the balloon caplS. serves, when necessary, to guide theyarn 2i being .drawn over-end from 1 obbin. |2.- l l a tween the handegrip 13' and the shank ll 15 disposed the fitment 24 for. securing the peg,in a fixed position on a creel. The fitment 24 is formed on one side as a vertical channel 25 adapted to fit round a tubular pillar 26 constituting a vertical member of the creel frame. The pillar 2B is provided with mating fitments in the form of short pins 21 protruding from the front and rear of the pillar. The pins 21 fit into slots 28 extending in a generally horizontal direction, as shown in Figure 3, from the edges 29 of the channel 25. Each slot 28 terminates in an upwardly directed notch 30 which drops over the pin 21 and positions;thezpackage-supporting peg with certainty. The fitment.v is fixed to the shank l I so that, on the creel, the shank is inclined slightly upwards from thehorizontal, e. g. at an angle of about 10 as shown in Figure 1.

The pegs of 'the'invention are mounted on the creelinpairs; one such pair being shown in Figure 2. The pins 27 in the pillars 26 are set slightly obliquely, so that the pegs of each pair converge slightly towards one another. One peg of each pair, theupper peg shown in Figure 2, has the fitment 24011 the left-hand side of the shank H and hand-grip l3, and the other has the fitment 24 on the right-hand side. The packages 12 on each pair of pegs serve alternately to supply yarn. drawn over-end from one or other of them, to a tension device 33. For this purpose, the lower flange 34 of each bobbin is grooved for the reception of" a length of yarn 35 constituting the portion of yarn first wound on the bobbin and adapted toserve'as a transfer tail for attachment to the portion of yarn last wound on the other bobbin of the pair as indicated at 38. When the bobbin which is supplying yarn (the upperbobbin as shown in Figure 2) is exhausted, yarn continues automatically to be supplied from the second bobbin of the pair, the transfer tail 35 serving as a connectionbetween them. The first bobbin can then bereplaced'by a full bobbin, the transfer tail of thesecond bobbin being tied on to the outer end of the yarn on the new first bobbin.

The tension device 33' is mountedsymmetrically between thebobbins I20f the pair, and is carried'on a. vertical rod 31 constituting a vertical member. of the creel frame. The tension device is of. the type described in U. S. Patent No. 2,585,097 and comprises an input guide 38 and'an output guide 39, the yarn' 2| in passing from.38.to 3ll passing overa series of hOI'iZOIl". talpin-s 40. Between the pins 40' are a series of' light, smooth rings 41 through which the yarn passes,.the rings 4| hangingon the yarn 21. as-the yarn. passes over the pins 49, and so causing theyarn to. follow a zigzag path whereby it issuitably tensioned. Attached to the tension device..33- isan oblique guide plate 42 to which in' turnis secured'a bent wire guide member. 43. The curved edge fi l-of the plate 42 constitutes a generally horizontal yarn-guiding edge; The. member 43. comprisesftwo straight yarnguiding sections 45; onefor each bobbin of the pain, The. yarn 2], passes over the-section 45, over.the guiding edge 64 of the plate 42; and thenceto the, input guide 38 of the tension device 33. This, arrangement makes it unnecessary for the. axes of the shanks II to converge sharplysoasto meet atthe common guide edge 38,.and enables the. packages 12" to be closely spaced at" their. bases and to. converge only slightly, so that their. axes, intersect beyond the tension device 33;

The creelof which the pillar 26'and the'rod 31 form part may be of'any size appropriate to the use for which it is intended. A form of creel suitable forwrappingis shown in Figures '7 and 8. A long series of the pillars 26 are secured together at the top and bottom by horizontal members 33 to form a rear chase, or package chase 49. An equal number of rods 37 are similarly secured by horizontal members 56 to constitute a front chase, or tension chase 5|. The package chase t3 and the tension chase 5| are secured together by cross members 52, 53v to constitute a frame, and two such frames arranged face-to-face constitute the creel, the alternate cross members 53 extending from one frame to the other so as to connect them together. from the rear for the replacement of package supporting pegs bearing exhausted bobbins with pegs bearing full bobbins. Each of the pillars 28, except the end pillars indicated at 28, is adapted to receive package-carrying pegs, one above the other, on opposite sides thereof alternately. Thus, the pegs on each pillar 26 serve the tension devices 33 of two difierent vertical rods 3?, while each tension device is served by a pair of pegs on two difierent pillars 26. The vertical spacing of the tension devices 33 on the rods 3'! is twice that of the pins 21 on the pillars 26. This arrangement enables the packages to be disposed very compactly in the creel, and greatly reduces the size of the creel.

The yarns leaving the output guides 39 (Figures 1 and 2) of each tension device 33 proceed in a direction nearly parallel to the length of the creel and are guided at intervals by combs 55 of suitable length. On reaching the end of the creel the yarns are all led to the collecting reed 55 of a warping device 56 and proceed as a sheet, over and under lease rods 5'! to the traversing comb 58 of the warping device by which they are led to the reel 59 of the device.

As indicated above, when one package of each pair of packages E2 on the creel is exhausted the empty package, complete with its package-carrying peg, is removed and replaced by a fresh peg carrying a full package. In order to facilitate this operation a servicing trolley may be provided, of the kind shown in Figures 9 and 10. The trolley comprises a wheeled base 6| having Each frame is thus readily accessible handles 62 at each end for convenient manipulation, and carrying a frame-work consisting of vertical members 63 connected together by horizontal members '64. The vertical members 63 are similar in character to the pillars 26 of the creel, being provided with fitments in the form of projecting pins similar to the pins 2! described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. This enables yarn packages, complete with packagecarrying pegs, to be mounted on the trolley and brought to the creel, where they are exchanged with pegs on the creel carrying empty packages.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A yarn-supply creel comprising a fixed framework, a plurality of fitments mounted on said framework in rows and columns and arranged in pairs of which each fitment is horizontally spaced from the other, a plurality of yarn-guide eyes, one common to each pair of fitments and mounted on said framework opposite the middle of said pair, a plurality of detachable packagecarrying pegs adapted for mounting on said fitments so that the centre-lines of the pegs on each pair of fitments converge towards but intersect beyond their common yarn-guide eye and, between each pair of pegs and its yarn-guide eye, a generally horizontal guiding edge of a form adapted to guide a yarn through one of two points, one in alignment with each of said pegs, said edge being adapted to permit the lateral passage of a yarn from one of said points to the other.

WALTER JOHN FISHER. THOMAS ECCLES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

